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[00:00.40] The humpback's song sounded so strange and haunting to sailors, they used to think it belonged to ghosts or mythical sea creatures.

[00:09.43] Now, a study has revealed how the animals produce their complex songs.

[00:13.95] Researchers examined the voice boxes of three dead whales: larynxes that were taken from a stranded minke, humpback and a sei whale.

[00:21.65] Pumping air into the giant U-shaped structures from the whales' throats showed how they vibrate to make a sound when air moves across them.

[00:29.35] That's similar to how our vocal folds work, but baleen whales can recycle the air around this specialised vocal anatomy, meaning they can sing while holding their breath without inhaling water.

[00:39.98] More analysis showed that the frequency of the whale song overlaps with the noise ships produce, so the sound of human activity in the ocean can interrupt communication that's essential to these animals' lives.